


Prompts

by penguins_and_such



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fae, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-04-24 01:55:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4901077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguins_and_such/pseuds/penguins_and_such
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where I'll be posting my prompt-inspired fics. Probably mostly Bokuaka.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stay

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was "Stay" and I'm beginning to think that if I don't finish a fic within 24 hours of starting it I never will.

He rolls over to the scent of coffee and suppresses a groan at the too-bright light filtering in through blinds right above him.

_I don’t have a window above my bed._  

_Where am I?_ He doesn’t recognize the sheets he’s currently wrapped up in, but there’s a familiar scent underneath the coffee and it wraps around his brain and tickles at his memories. Slowly they return to the forefront of his mind, unfurling and revealing the events that led to him waking up in a strange bed.

* * *

 

“Akaashiiiiiiiii as your senpai, nay, as your friend, I insist you go to this party with me!” Oikawa barged into his room with a finger raised and pointed at him.

“You should learn to knock Oikawa-san.” Akaashi deadpanned, he was not in the mood for this. Well, he’s never in the mood to entertain Oikawa, but today especially.

Oikawa lowers his arm and harrumphs, marching over to Akaashi’s closet door, where his monthly calendar hangs, filled in with deadlines and exam dates. After a second of examination he nods to himself and smacks his pointer finger to the current date. “I knew it! You don’t have anything due for a week! And your last midterm was today, so…” He flings the closet door open and starts rifling through Akaashi’s clothes.

Akaashi turns away and continues his note taking. Eventually humming accompanies the clacking of hangers and he gets the distinct feeling of the calm right before a storm.

A few minutes pass and he hears Oikawa emerge and throw something on his bed. “There, we’re leaving at seven!”

” _We’re_ not-“Akaashi starts as he turns around but is cut off by the look in Oikawa’s eyes. It’s his If-I-Don’t-Get-My-Way look. He’s hardly ever had it turned on him, and he’s always complied after he sees it, not wishing to see what hell Oikawa would unleash upon him if he didn’t. It wasn’t a good idea to test Oikawa Tooru. Especially when one was living with him.

“You might have a point about the free time, Oikawa-san.” He concedes, Oikawa visibly brightens, and Akaashi gets a devious glint in his eye “Will Iwaizumi-san be there?”

Oikawa sniffs and almost literally turns up his nose at the thought “Iwa-chan doesn’t have the time to entertain me all night” _ah, that’s why he’s so insistent._ “I think he’s still sour about last week.”

Akaashi snorts and starts clearing his desk, barely keeping his comments to himself. He was already pushing it mentioning Iwaizumi. “I’ll be ready by seven Oikawa-san.”

Oikawa takes that as the dismissal it is and nearly floats out of Akaashi’s room, satisfied that in this, at least, he got his way.

* * *

 

_So I went to a party with Oikawa last night._

If he went to a party with Oikawa that explained… a lot. Not details exactly but- he sits up suddenly.

He hears humming. Of course, he’s in someone else’s bed, of course they’re around.

He breathes out slowly, then breathes in, letting the warm scent wash over him, recalling more of last night, bits and pieces. Not a full picture just yet.

He must have been drinking, his memories of the party itself are mostly tinged with the warm haze of alcohol, blurring the edges and making it harder to recall details.

Last he remembers he was drinking, talking with Konoha, who told him who was hosting the party- _wow I was pissed at Oikawa when I found out it was his place we were at-_ wait whose place? He struggles to make the face come into focus. Ridiculous hair, bright eyes, booming voice, and…

The rest of the night jolts into place as he recalls whose place the party was at. Who he spent the rest of the night with. Whose sheets he’s tangled in. Whose scent has been tickling at his nose and wrapping around his brain.

They slept together, well not in _that_ sense. He doesn’t recall anything of that sort. He thinks. Just drifting off to sleep in strong arms, warm and content and with the smell of wood and spice tickling his nose.

Whispered good nights, and chaste kisses.

Akaashi falls back against the pillows and stares at the back of his eyelids as his cheeks pink.

_That’s right._  He rolls onto his side and opens his eyes to stare at the wall.

_I’m in Bokuto-san’s bed._

_In my boxers._

* * *

 

Akaashi is trying his hardest not to openly glare at Oikawa. It’s not even anger he really feels, right now. More like exasperation. But Akaashi doesn’t feel very eloquent this far into the evening or after so many drinks. So he’s angry.

Because the party is being hosted by Bokuto-san. Which in hindsight, isn’t all too alarming, and Oikawa’s desire to come isn’t too surprising. They do share quite a few friends and acquaintances.

No, the alarming part is why Oikawa insisted Akaashi come, and it’s not that he doesn’t know why. In fact he knows exactly why. Because Oikawa can’t mind his own business and thinks he’s some godly matchmaker.

To be fair, every relationship he had a part in making, excluding his own, seems to be going fairly well.

_But this is just plain ridiculous, did he really think dragging me to his house would work? We see each other nearly every day and nothing’s come of it. Does he really think changing the setting would do anything?_

“Akaashi?! Wow I didn’t expect to see you here!” _Speak of the devil._ He glances to his right to see Bokuto himself making his way towards him. All bright eyes and barely contained energy.

“Hello Bokuto-san.” Akaashi gives him a small, fond smile, the corners of his mouth turning up just a smidge.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you outside of the café, you look a lot different out of uniform.” He gives him a warm smile, eyes crinkling around the corners. Akaashi’s stomach flips at the sight of the earnest expression.  

Akaashi raises an eyebrow at him without dropping the smile, “I have to admit you don’t look very different.”

Bokuto laughs, “I guess it wouldn’t make sense if I didn’t huh? So, are you having fun? Do you need another drink?” His eyes become increasingly attentive has he looks at Akaashi and he resists the urge to squirm, it’s not the first time he’s been the focus of Bokuto’s somewhat intense gaze, but it is the first time he didn’t really have anything to do but stare back.

“I’m fine, Bokuto-san. The party is…” Akaashi throws a cursory glance around the room “entertaining.”

Bokuto takes a look around too, nodding slightly then turning back to Akaashi, “It’s not really you’re scene huh?” 

Akaashi snorts, “Not exactly, no. I don’t mind all the people but it can be so loud.” He turns from Bokuto to survey the crowd once more.

He feels a hand around his wrist and when he snaps his head around Bokuto’s expression is all excitement. “Wanna see something cool?” _It’s really not fair, how could I ever say no when he looks like that?_

Akaashi nods, “Sure.”

They go up a narrow staircase and enter what looks like a bedroom, it’s hard to tell with how dark it is. Bokuto’s hand relinquishes its grip on his wrist and already Akaashi misses the warmth. _I’ve got it bad. Bad. Bad. Bad._

He barely makes out Bokuto’s silhouette moving to other side of the room and then he hears a click and the room is flooded with soft light from a floor lamp in the corner. Akaashi glances around the room, it looks pretty average. Nothing too remarkable, a window right against the bed that offers up a decent view of skyline. They’re in the top floor of the house, so the ceiling cuts it close to the walls. Akaashi’s eyes follow the beams and he finally sees it, stretched out across the ceiling, a painting of a pair of wings. Positioned so that it looks as if he’s watching some great bird take flight. Out of the corner of his eyes he catches Bokuto fidget.

He slowly turns his gaze back to him, “It’s beautiful Bokuto-san.” He can’t keep the awe out of his voice, even if he wanted to.

Bokuto’s face lights up once more, “D’ya really think so Akaashi? I got permission from my landlord, and the space seems so small I just figured it would help. Oh do y’know what kind of bird it is Akaashi?” His voice is loud, but with how excited he sounds Akaashi is the furthest thing from annoyed.

He looks back up at the ceiling, examining the colors, the feathers are gradient brown speckled with white every so often. He’s taken aback by the attention to detail, the texture looks so realistic Akaashi is half certain that if he could reach the ceiling he wouldn’t be met with wood, but rather soft, fluffy feathers.

“I haven’t the faintest clue Bokuto-san, what kind of bird is it?” He looks back at Bokuto and his chest is puffed out, just a little.

“It’s a burrowing owl, Akaashi. I figured you’d appreciate that since, y’know you wear owl pins on your visor and all.” Bokuto’s cheeks flush a bit and his hand comes up to scratch at the back of his head.

“If I remember right you’re a fan of owls yourself, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi laughs at the memory of Bokuto’s face the first time he saw the pins on his hat. Bokuto must remember too because he laughs with him.

Then it was 2 am and they were sitting on his bed talking about owls and art and coffee.

And then it was 3 am and they kissed, Bokuto was a little too eager, clacking his teeth against Akaashi’s (he can still feel it, a phantom jolt traveling up his skull) and he had to stifle a giggle lest he make him look anymore put out, and then by 3:30 were making out, neither awake enough to want to move past kissing.

* * *

 

_And then I woke up in his bed. In my boxers._

Akaashi sat up and looked around the room. _Aha, there my pants are._

He untangles himself from the sheets and plants his feet on the floor, stretching once before standing and beginning to dress himself. He’s only just buttoned his pants and is still shirtless when he hears a knock and then a few minutes later sees Bokuto stick his head through the door. He starts a bit at the sight of him up and about, but enters the room with a tray of food and a sheepish smile.

_Honestly? He’s too perfect._  

Akaashi lets a warm smile fall into place “Good morning Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto gives his own thousand-watt grin in return “Morning Akaashi, downstairs is a little hectic right now, there are still a few people and my roommates are already using the kitchen and dining rooms, so I figured we could just eat in here if you don’t mind. Ah that is if you even want to stay for breakfast. I don’t know if you’re busy, or if you just don’t want to, so umm… Whatever you want to do.” Bokuto’s grin had all but died and his voice had quieted by a lot.

“I’d love to stay”


	2. Merry Bromas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of my christmas gift to a friend that I've decided to upload   
> Bokuroo

**Merry Bro-mas**

The first time they exchanged gifts on Christmas was a bit of a fiasco, it ended in wrapping paper stuck to the ceiling of Kuroo’s room, a (relatively small) fire, and more than a few bruises and scrapes. It was such an event that their parents met up, collaborated and set up gift giving guidelines, “to prevent further disaster” his mom had said kindly.

Bokuto wasn’t dense or anything, he understood that he and Kuroo could get a smidge too excited, especially when they met up over the holidays, without any practice to wear them out. So the “guidelines” were for the safety of them and everyone around them, in theory it should even make gift shopping easier.

_In theory._

But, just like last year, Bokuto finds himself without many options. Eventually staring down one of the seemingly thousands of ceramic mugs on display. (Against guideline 3- _Nothing easily broken, especially if it breaks into sharp pieces._ ) He feels like the bright and cheery elves are mocking him and he feels himself glaring at them.

“Ko! Look at this, it’s adorable, you should get him this!” He looks behind him to see his mom pushing a plush cat into his face. Bokuto grabs hold of it and examines it, it’s relatively large, about the size of a real cat, with black fur and cartoonish features. Its mouth is curled up in a trademark cat smile and its eyes are closed, as if it’s napping. It would be an alright choice, if not for the Santa hat affixed between his ears and the fake beard on its chin, which strikes him as more than a bit much. He sees the bin it came out of behind his mom and chucks it over her head so it lands in it, nestled comfortably between its clones.

“Nah, he wouldn’t like that. What would he do with a stuffed cat toy anyway?” Bokuto shrugs and turns to give the shop they’re in another once over, trying to see anything that might be acceptable.

His mom makes a noise of exasperation behind him, “Who says a gift has to be useful! And if you want to give him something he can use why not buy him a pair of kneepads or a duffel bag or something else for volleyball?”

Bokuto pulls his eyebrows down and contemplates the little cat shaped paperweights in front of him. “I thought about that but, that just doesn’t seem right. Besides he doesn’t really doesn’t have anything he needs for volleyball.” He turns back to his mom and sighs feeling his shoulders and head sag “I don’t think I’ll find anything here.”

He feels her set her hand on his arm and squeeze it reassuringly, “Then I guess we’ll have to move on to another one, the day’s still young, come on.” She tugs him along out the door and they continue the search.

Guideline 1- _Parents have final say in gift approval._

* * *

 

The sun’s about to set by the time Bokuto finds it. The perfect gift. They sit hanging on hooks in the back of a shop on the very outskirts of the center. They dangle their looking as if they’ve been waiting just for him.

He keeps his eyes on them and blindly grabs his mom’s arm. “That’s it. They’re perfect.”

After a moment of confusion her eyes find them and a grin overtakes her face, contrasting her son’s serious stare. “I can’t really object to those, I can’t see you two making too much trouble with them.”

After a beat, Bokuto releases his mom’s arm to pump his fist. “Yes! Come on, mom, we’ve gotta get these home and wrapped, stat!”

He charges off in their direction and leaves his mother standing there with her hands on her hips. _So much like his father sometimes..._

* * *

 

The long awaited day finally arrived and Bokuto practically skipped to Kuroo’s house. His best bro was going to love his gift so much. _This has to be the best gift ever. In all of history. Scholars will look back on this day as an historical event. Best friends everywhere will lament over my gift-giving prowess and how they could never hope to reach my level._ He puffs his chest out once more and compulsively checks his hair with the hand not holding the gift bag.

He knocks on the door once before Kuroo throws it open, it would be unsettling if not for the fact that they’d been in almost constant contact since they’d woken up. He’s wearing a bright red sweater and his hair almost looks messier than usual. “Merry Christmas bro!”

Bokuto throws himself at him and wraps his arms around him tight, laughing as he feels Kuroo do the same. “Merry Christmas!”

As soon as he’s released from Kuroo’s arms he feels himself immediately ensconced in another hug, he laughs and returns it. “Merry Christmas Kuroo’s Mom!”

She laughs as she releases him and pats him on the shoulder, “Merry early Christmas! Don’t set anything on fire this year please, I’m looking forward to relatively calm day.”  

Bokuto scratches his cheek and feels a little indignant, even if Kuroo’s mom is grinning at him. “It wasn’t that bad…”

He feels Kuroo set a hand on his shoulder. “You know you can trust us, we’re responsible young adults.”

She lets out a bark of laughter “If only, just have fun without the property damage this year.” She turns and disappears into the room Bokuto can hear the T.V. playing from.

“Come on, your present’s in my room.” Kuroo turns and meanders his way upstairs and Bokuto follows with enthusiasm, a step or two behind him.

“Kuroo I can’t wait, bro, you’re gonna love my gift.”

“Yeah, well I think my gift might be better.” He can practically hear Kuroo’s smug grin.

Bokuto puffs up as they reach his room. “No way!”

Kuroo doesn’t say anything but opens his door and gestures for Bokuto to go in first. Bokuto marches in and plants himself on the edge of Kuroo’s bed, watching him with suspicion as he sits at his desk and grabs the gift bag from it. He swivels his chair around and thrusts his arm towards Bokuto and he mirrors the gesture with his gift bag.

They both violently grab their bags and rip the tissue paper out of them, effectively making a mess. Kuroo is the first to exclaim, and Bokuto feels more than a little smug until he sees his gift, then he’s just in awe.

“Bro!” They both exclaim it at the same time and pull their gifts out of their bags, eyeing them with equal expressions of wonder.

Kuroo held up the black gloves and excitedly put one of them on, turning his hand palm up so he could examine the pattern of a cat’s paw that was there. He looked up to see Bokuto already wearing his hat, standing in front of his mirror and oohing over his reflection.

Kuroo had been pretty lucky to find the hat, it was shaped in a similar fashion to how Bokuto styled his hair, with yellow buttons and a small smile on the front of it, giving the impression of a an owl. Bokuto turns to face Kuroo and points at his hat. “IT’S PERFECT? HOW?”

Kuroo holds his hand wearing the glove out towards Bokuto and shrugs lazily. “I don’t know man, yours is perfect too. I lucked out with the hat, I saw it, and I was like ‘This is it. This is the perfect gift.’” Kuroo nods his head solemnly.

Bokuto points at Kuroo and laughs “Me too! Bro, we’re like the perfect best friends.”

 “Like, soulmates bro. We’re like, meant to be, or some shit.” Kuroo stares up at the ceiling, basking in the glow of knowing he’s probably the best friend in the world, and that he has the second best friend in the world. Or maybe they’re about even.

Kuroo snaps his head back forward at the sound of Bokuto’s gasp. “What? What did you do?”

Bokuto’s eyes focus on him and he’s either about to say something brilliant or stupid. Possibly both. Probably both.

“S _owl_ mates.” He delivers the pun with a completely straight face and Kuroo doesn’t suppress his sigh.

“Bro, we were having a moment.”

“But it was good, right?”

“…yeah.”

He hoots in victory and falls back onto Kuroo’s bed dramatically, touching the hat still on his head reverently. “I’m never taking this off.”

Kuroo eyes him skeptically “That’s kinda gross.”

Bokuto shoots him a glare. “Now who’s ruining moments?”

“The moment was already ruined by you bro, I didn’t do anything to further ruin the moment.”

Bokuto sighs and pulls out his phone, pouting at the screen. “Debatable.”

Kuroo points a finger at Bokuto, but feels his retort die on his lips when he gets an idea. He pulls out his own phone and makes sure Bokuto’s fairly occupied before posing in front of his camera, the gloved hand held beside his face with the fingers slightly curled. He then puts on his best catlike smile and takes the picture. He sends it to Bokuto with a simple caption “Nyah.”

He barely holds back a snicker when he hears Bokuto’s phone chime and sees his face screw up in suspicion. “I really hope this isn’t another weird meme.”

Kuroo holds his hand over his heart with a pleasant, albeit fake, smile, “Would I do that to you on today, of all days?”

“Yes.”

Kuroo drops his hand and the smile. “Fair enough.”

He laughs at the face he makes when he finally opens the message.

“Bro.” Bokuto pushes a few buttons. “That’s my new background.”

“Bro.”

Bokuto gives him a devious look. “Also I’m keeping this for blackmail.”

Kuroo falls over at his waist, hands dragging the ground as he lets out a dramatic whine. “You wound me. As if I have anything to be ashamed about.”

“…You’re right, you know no shame.”

Kuroo snaps back up. “Don’t forget it, bro.” He stands up and shoots a genuine grin at him. “Let’s go eat some food.” Bokuto’s face pales a bit. “Don’t worry my mom ordered take-out, she didn’t cook a thing.”

Bokuto practically jumps off the bed. “Thank god, I love the woman but she’s no cook.”

“You’re telling me. I don’t know how I made it this far.”

Thankfully the rest of the day passes without any real incident, and the parents of Bokuto and Kuroo count their blessings that their sons survived another holiday.


	3. No Homo (A Little Homo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the christmas gifts I'm uploading  
> Bokuroo (very cute if i do say so myself)

Bokuto and Kuroo were currently sharing body heat underneath a blanket on their couch. Sitting up straight but with one of Kuroo’s legs flung over Bokuto’s, they both leaned into each other, one of Bokuto’s arms stretched on the back of the couch behind Kuroo’s head and shoulders. The shorter and colder the days got, the more often they found themselves, for lack of a better term, cuddling.

They’d been sharing an apartment since their second year of university and had a fairly established routine by now, on Saturdays when they didn’t have some party or anywhere else to be, they watched some B-list movie while gorging themselves on pizza and alcohol. The added cuddling was a bit newer, but appreciated by both parties.

 _Living with your best bro is pretty sweet_ they both found themselves thinking daily.

Bokuto didn’t react when he felt Kuroo’s hand grab his, except to slot their fingers together. He glanced over and saw him staring wide-eyed at some dramatic scene in the movie.

The hand holding was a bit new too, but neither really questioned it, especially since they’ve done far more intimate things with one another. They stayed holding hands until the end of the movie, at which point Kuroo disentangled himself and stood up, lazily stretching. Bokuto stayed where he was, appreciating the sliver of skin revealed when Kuroo’s shirt rode up, one look around at the empty bottles and boxes and Bokuto knew neither of them would have the energy tonight though.

Bokuto yawned and mumbled “Your room or mine?” before getting up and stretching, quietly proud of the fact that he didn’t stumble despite the alcohol burning through his blood.

Kuroo chuckled lazily before dropping his arm around Bokuto’s shoulders “Sounds like a cheesy pick up line.”

Bokuto grabbed the hand dangling off his shoulder and turned to meet Kuroo’s eyes, working hard to paint his voice and face sincere. “You know I’m a fool for you baby.”

Kuroo waves his free hand around “Yeah, yeah. When was the last time you did your laundry?”

“How dare you treat my emotions so flippantly.” He mock huffed and looked down at his shirt. “Uh, I dunno know. Why? Is there a stain on me?” He pulled the fabric away from his body to examine it as Kuroo led them down the hallway.

“No, but if you can’t remember it’s my bed tonight. I love you but I’m not tripping and falling into your dirty laundry pile again.” Kuroo’s face scrunches up in disgust at the memory as he guides them past Bokuto’s room.

 Bokuto blows a raspberry as they enter Kuroo’s room “That really wasn’t my fault.”

Kuroo heaves a sigh as he practically throws Bokuto onto his bed “I’m not having this argument right now.” He throws himself on top of Bokuto and wraps his arms and legs around him. “Jus’wanna cuddle.”

Bokuto struggles but manages to flip them over “Where’s the blanket?” He picks his head up and looks around, finding it behind Kuroo and managing to finagle it over their bodies without having to move Kuroo, who made no move to help him. “Dude this would’ve been easier if you’d helped.”

Kuroo huffed and barely spoke above a murmur. “Whatever.”

Bokuto rolled his eyes “Seriously, and then you’d bitch about being cold in the middle of the night.”

Silence from Kuroo, and then an overly zealous giggle peals through the (small) space between them.

Bokuto’s face wrinkles up in confusion. “Eh? What’s so funny?”

Kuroo struggles to pick his head up, still laughing and clutching at Bokuto’s sides in place of his own. “A-Aka-aashi was right.”

Bokuto’s expression didn’t change and he watched as honest-to-god tears rolled down Kuroo’s face. It took a few minutes but he eventually settled down, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “I was talking to Akaashi the other day, and he said we bickered like an old married couple.”

Bokuto puckers his lips up in thought “Akaashi is right a lot bro. We are kinda married huh?”

“Yeah, but like casually.” Kuroo lays back down and nuzzles into Bokuto’s hair. He had taken a shower before they watched the movie, so it’s soft and fluffy, he grins into it.

Bokuto laughs “Casually married. No homo bro.” He breathes against Kuroo’s neck. “Well, a little homo.”

Kuroo’s words are muffled and tickle Bokuto’s scalp “I mean only a little. We are cuddling right now.”

“Hmmm that’s fair.” He hums softly to himself, he yawns so hard his jaw cracks. He imagines he can feel Kuroo’s grin against his head. “I’m wiped. What time is it?”

He feels Kuroo lift his head “It’s like 11, we’re _such_ an old married couple.”

Bokuto lifts his head as well, kissing Kuroo square on the mouth. “Yeah, but you love it.” He lays back down, turning around and scooting his back against Kuroo’s front. “Turn off the light. I need beauty sleep.”

He chuckles as he feels his cheeks flush and flips the light off “Yeah, yeah, you love it too.” He tangles their legs together and wraps an arm around his friend’s waist, curling around him and planting a kiss on the back of his neck. “G’night. Love you.”

Bokuto feels his entire face heat up. “Love you too.” He grabs the arm around his waist and twines their fingers together, relaxing fully into the warm, sturdy body behind him.

As they both succumb to sleep they share a similar thought.

  _Living with your best bro is pretty sweet._


	4. Bokurooi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Part of the Christmas Gift  
> OT3- Bokurooi (Look- yeah I can't explain this polyship but it's good, trust me)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this one demands a bit of a backstory, essentially Kuroo, Oikawa, Bokuto, and Akaashi rent a house together. Kuroo and Oikawa have an established relationship, and this fic is mostly just Bokuto being very gay. For everyone, because captains loving each other is v good.

Bokuto sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

His emotions were a tangled mess. _He_ was a mess.

The problem was this:

Bokuto really liked Akaashi, but was not dating him because he was like 300% sure the guy didn’t want any kind of relationship apart from friendship from anyone. The guy was asked out all the time by guys, gals and every other category but he never accepted. (Bokuto had been there for some of them and wow the only explanation for those rejections was complete disgust at romance or sex or any combination of the two.)

Bokuto also really like Kuroo. They also weren’t dating, but not because Kuroo wasn’t into that. (In fact he and Kuroo had done more than a few things in their younger days, nothing solidifies friendship like mutual masturbation, they often said.) Kuroo was in fact into that, considering he had a boyfriend. Which was why they weren’t dating.

Bokuto was also confused due to the fact that he had recently caught himself staring at Oikawa, Kuroo’s boyfriend, and thinking. _Wow, he’s so pretty._ Which isn’t too strange since the guy is _gorgeous_ , the weird part was when he caught himself staring at him while he smiled up at Kuroo and thought: _I wish he’d look at me like that._

He flips himself over and yells into his pillow.

He hears a noise down the hall and then a knocking at his door. “Hey bro I’m making omelets get your ass up.”

Bokuto picks his head up and wearily stares at the door. His issues were also compounded by the fact that he lived with all of these people that he happened to be majorly crushing on.

_This is stupidly unfair. Why do I have such a big heart?_

He rolled over until he was half dangling off the edge of the bed and swung his legs all the way down, standing with hunched shoulders and sighing.

_Why must I suffer so?_

He pulls his back straight. Thinking like that won’t fix anything. Although at this point he’s not sure what would fix his situation. He shakes his head, feeling his un-styled hair swish around his head. Definitely not negative thoughts, those are the least helpful.

He checks the time on his phone (8:45) and knows that Akaashi won’t be up for a while so he can take his time in the bathroom (getting Akaashi up before 11:00 on a weekend is nearly impossible), so he does. About 45 minutes later he emerges from the bathroom, ready to face the day, but for the fact that he’s still in sweatpants and a very old and stained t-shirt, but he won’t put on real clothes until after breakfast, depending on the days plans. He pads down the stairs and peeks into the kitchen, noting that Kuroo’s alone in the kitchen.

“Sleeping Beauty not up yet?” He pulls a chair out from the table and sits down.

Kuroo doesn’t turn around but shakes his head, focused on the food for now “Yeah, he was working late last night. Akaashi might not be the last one up today.”

Bokuto hmms from his spot at the table. Peaceful silence fills the kitchen, only the sounds of the spatula against the skillet filling the air. After a few minutes an omelet is placed in front of him. He feels himself salivating at the smell of it, but restrains himself, waiting for Kuroo to finish his so they can eat together.

“You don’t have to wait for me.” Kuroo doesn’t look up from the stove, sprinkling cheese and something green, Bokuto isn’t sure what half the stuff in the kitchen is, he’s not been allowed to cook complicated things for a while now.

“I know.”

Kuroo doesn’t acknowledge him but instead starts humming some pop number under his breath. He slides his omelet onto a plate and sits down across from Bokuto. “Thanks for the delicious breakfast.” He gives a bright grin to his best friend and digs in. Perfect as always, Kuroo really was the best at breakfast food.

They had barely finished their food when they heard a shuffling and then Oikawa appeared in the doorway, head thrown back in a yawn so hard his eyes were watering. Despite coming in late he still looks well put together, hair styled and in loose sweatpants and a tight t-shirt. Bokuto watched a lazy grin spread across Kuroo’s face from his periphery. “Well I thought you’d get the last awake award today for sure.”

Oikawa drags his feet across the linoleum and towards the counter, flapping a hand in Kuroo’s general direction. “Yeah, yeah, sass me all you want, but first coffee.” He tips his head back a little and sniffs delicately. “And food.”

Kuroo rolls his eyes but points out his omelet, kept warm by a layer of aluminum foil over it. Oikawa smiles in gratitude before filling his coffee cup with equal parts coffee, creamer, and sugar. He sets his mug and plate on the table and pulls out a chair, sitting between the two and flashing Bokuto a trademark grin. “Good morning, Owl-san!”

Bokuto’s heart skips a beat and his brain freezes for a second. Once it’s properly running again he gets stuck once more, this time on the familiar _why must I suffer_ tangent. He clears his throat, “Good morning Oikawa. Did you sleep well?”

The most recent propagator of his suffering rolls his eyes and glares at his boyfriend. “It would have been a good sleep, if it weren’t for Tetsu-chan being an awful bedmate.”

Bokuto chuckles at Kuroo’s affronted face and decides to antagonize. “Did he kick you out of the bed again?” He feels the excitement on his face and doesn’t bother dialing it back.

Oikawa meets his eyes as if he’s got the scoop of the century, swallowing the food in his mouth before speaking. “No, thank god. Last night he was a total blanket hog. I spent half the night shivering from exposure!”

Bokuto nods and puts on his most understanding face, he does after all know exactly how bad Kuroo can be about sharing a bed, and they never bothered keeping their experiences with one another secret, at least not in this house. “Isn’t he the worst about that? He left me out in the cold so many times, I think I even got a cold once.”

Oikawa nods sagely and opens his mouth but is cut off by Kuroo. “I only hogged the blankets because I was cold and lonely because _someone_ wasn’t there to help me warm up.” Kuroo stands and picks up his and Bokuto’s dishes.

 Oikawa stuffs more egg in his mouth and chews around it slowly before replying, surprising both Kuroo and Bokuto when he turns towards Bokuto. “Wow I’m surprised you’d abandon Kuroo like that, I honestly thought you were closer.”

Bokuto almost chokes on his own spit and Kuroo doubles over at the sink laughing, Oikawa looks entirely too proud of himself. Once everyone’s breathing returns to normal Bokuto replies. “Well you said it yourself, he’s awful to share a bed with.” Kuroo turns around, drying his hands on a dish towel, setting it aside before approaching the table with his hand over his heart.

“You wound me so.” He leans over the table and pecks Oikawa on the lips, then turning to leave, clapping Bokuto’s shoulder on the way out. “I’ve got to run some errands, I’ll be back a little after lunch. Love you!” The sound of the door slamming follows shortly after.

He feels his disappointment flash across his face briefly. He wouldn’t mind a goodbye kiss. From Kuroo or Oikawa. Or even Akaashi. He suppresses a sigh and gives his attention to Oikawa once more, nearly jumping at the face he’s making. It’s not the friendly look he keeps plastered on here at home, it’s not anger though, it’s… calculating. The look he reserves for the hardest opponents, for when they have some move that will not be overcome with a simple strategy. For when he has to find the chink in their armor. Bokuto isn’t entirely sure he likes being on the receiving end of that look.

It passes quickly and Oikawa’s back to his sunny façade, grin stretched across his face. “Say, Owl-san, do you have any plans for today?”

Bokuto shakes his head slowly as he thinks over his day. “Nope, I’m free all day.”

“Perfect! We can hang out all day then, it feels like it’s been forever!” Oikawa finishes the rest of his food, humming (ironically) the same tune Kuroo had been humming earlier. He sips on his coffee leisurely. “So do you have anything in particular you wanna do?” His eyes fall to Bokuto’s and he tries his absolute best not to freeze in his seat.

He thinks for a minute. “Not really. I kinda wanna see that new sci-fi flick, but I figured we could all watch it tonight.”

Oikawa perks up “Oooh I can’t wait to see it! But you’re right, we should wait until tonight then we can all watch it.” He scrunches his face up in thought, then his eyes go wide with an idea “I know! Let’s play volleyball for a bit!”

He practically vibrates in his seat at the thought, despite everything he’s always down for volleyball. “That’s perfect! We still have the net set up in the yard too!”

Oikawa’s hair bobs as he nods in triumph and then stands from the table with a screech from his chair, his index finger pointed towards the ceiling. “Let’s go Owl-san!”

Two hours later finds them both sprawled in the grass beneath the net, the sun beating down on them, but the cool breeze making it bearable. Bokuto watches the clouds drifting by with mild interest. _I could play some more but…_

Oikawa lets out a soft snore, after a particularly harsh round of practice sets and spikes they had agreed on a break and ended up laying on the ground to catch their breath. It had barely been a minute when Bokuto had sat back up and saw that Oikawa’s eyes were closed and his breathing was steady. He sat up and walked over to where his phone was sitting on the deck and saw he had no messages, he settled on the deck with his feet hanging over the edge and looked over the yard. _Don’t stare at him while he sleeps. Don’t stare at him while he sleeps._ He found himself staring at him anyways, appreciating the profile he struck laying like he was, with his eyelashes sweeping across his cheeks and the slope of his nose.

_Fuck._

“Bokuto-san?”

He jumps at the sound of his name, turning at the waist to see Akaashi standing in the doorway, looking slightly more ready to face the day in loose jeans and a button up, and violin case clutched in one of his hands. “I’m going to rehearse, I’ll be back pretty late tonight, so don’t count me in any dinner plans.”

He nods once “Yeah, okay.” Akaashi turns and starts leaving, letting the door close behind him. “Have fun!” No reply is heard so he can assume that either he wasn’t heard or was ignored. Probably the latter, he hopes he’s not under a lot of pressure. Bokuto cringes at the thought, Akaashi isn’t fun to be around when he’s like that, not to mention seeing him run himself into the ground sucks.

Bokuto sighs and looks over at Oikawa once more. _He said he didn’t have anywhere to be, but it’s the middle of the day, it would suck if he got a sunburn. But he looks so tired._ He runs his fingers through his hair and pulls, holding in a scream and falling back onto the deck. _The sky looks so pretty today, and the sun does feel pretty nice._ The world gets a bit dimmer as his eyes close.

The sound of a door opening. _Maybe Akaashi forgot something?_

He hears the door behind him open again and then the noise that he knows specifically as Kuroo trying not to laugh out loud. It’s a pretty ungodly sound, a combination of snorting and muffled giggling, but it’s still pretty nice to Bokuto. His full blown laughter is still better, but there’s something almost charming about his stupid snorting. _I’m so screwed. That’s all there is to it. I’m in too deep._

One eye cracks open and he sees exactly what he expected, Kuroo hunched over in the doorway, phone out and taking photos. He opens both eyes and sits up. “Hey Kuroo should we move him?” from where he sits on the deck Kuroo looks even taller than usual, towering above him. He decides to stand up before he gets a crick in his neck, rolling his shoulders out and stretching as he does so.

Kuroo settles down a little and makes his way over to where his boyfriend is laying. He falls silent quickly and when Bokuto catches up to him he can see a faint flush on his face, then he sighs. “My boyfriend really is cute.” He throws his head back and sighs up at the sky before turning and meeting Bokuto’s eyes, an honest smile playing at his lips. Bokuto’s heart skips a beat. “Help me move him?”

Bokuto nods dumbly, helping hoist Oikawa onto Kuroo’s back. Kuroo sighs before readjusting him, ignoring Oikawa’s sleepy mumbling. “Idiot would’ve gotten a sunburn.” He rolls his eyes “Do you think you could get the door?” Bokuto walks a little faster, getting in front of him and holding the door open. “Thanks Bro, I’m gonna go put this idiot to bed.” He yawns as he goes through the doorway, “Maybe I’ll put myself to bed for a little catnap too.”

“Okay, I’ll, uh, be here. Akaashi’s at rehearsal, he said to count him out for dinner.” Bokuto watches him make his way up the stairs and raise a hand in acknowledgement before turning and going towards the kitchen. He makes a sandwich and scarfs it down before guzzling some water and then heading upstairs to his own room, making a quick detour to his bathroom to rinse the dried sweat off his body and wash the gel out of his hair. He walks from the bathroom to his room with a towel slung low over his hips and doesn’t bother closing his door, leaving it open as he slips on sweatpants and turns on the techno playlist Akaashi had recommended him. He falls onto his bed heavily, letting his eyes slip shut and his thoughts wander.

_Crush on his best bro? Check._

_Crush on his best bro’s boyfriend and new friend? Check._

_Crush on his high school setter? Check._

A giant huff of breath escaped his nose and he attempts to bury himself in his pillow before giving in to the need for air and turning his head. Exhaustion pulls heavy on his limbs and sleep attempts to drag him down.

_Still very gay for three guys. Arguably the three most important guys in his life._

_Let the suffering continue._

His consciousness fades on that thought.

When Bokuto wakes up his playlist is over and the light coming in through the windows cast long shadows, throwing the room almost totally into darkness. He’s slow to wake, sleep clinging to his mind and making it foggy and useless for a few minutes, reducing his world to the warmth of the bed and the almost-but-not-quite dark all around him. The sound of giggling is what wakes him fully, once he identifies the source of the sound he feels a familiar tug, at once happy for his friends and downright sad for himself.

Rolling over, he checks the time on his phone, seeing that it’s about dinner time, with a huge yawn, he pulls himself up and out of bed, stretching before looking for a shirt to put on. After pulling on an old volleyball shirt he pads downstairs and catches a whiff of something cooking in the kitchen. He follows his nose and his heart skips a beat at what he sees in the kitchen. Oikawa making something at the stove, with Kuroo slotted against his back, not even an inch of space between them.

_I wanna be a part of that._

Bokuto shakes his head to try to rid himself of the thought and clears his throat. Loudly.

They both turn their heads and look at him, neither bothering to disengage from their hug. It’s Kuroo who speaks first “Hey bro, stir-fry for dinner is good right?” Oikawa turns his attention back towards the stove.

“Yeah sounds good.” Bokuto stays standing awkwardly in the doorway, not sure if he should sit or try to give them privacy. _How did I even act before I had crushes on them? No, how did I act before I **knew** I had crushes on them? _

Oikawa starts batting Kuroo away. “Good! Because it’s done, now get out of the way Tetsu-chan.” His hand connects to the others stomach with a solid ‘wap’ sound and Kuroo moves out of the way, clutching the counter a little tightly. Oikawa smiles brightly at Bokuto, who is still lingering in the doorway. “We’re gonna eat in the living room because there’s a new animal documentary premiering tonight that Tetsu-chan thinks you’d like.”

Bokuto feels a grin tug at his lips “Sounds good!” He turns and goes to take a seat in the living room before changing his mind and heading upstairs to use the restroom and grab his phone. When he finally gets to the living room the other two are already seated, plates in their hands and a plate made for Bokuto and left on the coffee table. Between the two of them.

Because they’re sitting on opposite ends of the couch.

He examines their faces and neither seem to pause in their eating when he stays standing awkwardly near the entryway.

_I **could** just take the armchair, but…_

Skipping out on a chance to sit between two of his crushes? He might not be the smartest but he’s far from an idiot, and he’s more than willing to take the bait. Although if they somehow got into an argument it would be awkward…

_No. You can’t complain if you don’t take every chance you get!_

He strides confidently to the couch and sits between the two of them, picking up his plate and digging in. The documentary playing is about the tundra and he finds himself so engrossed in it that he hardly realizes he’s finished his food. Leaning forward a bit, he sets his plate back on the coffee table and settles back into the couch, letting his back slump into the soft, worn-in cushions.

The documentary’s pretty good, just the right level of brutal and beautiful, it keeps his attention well enough. Not well enough for him to not notice the sudden warmth on either side of him.

They must have been scooting slowly closer this entire time because he finds Kuroo just close enough to him that their thighs are touching and Oikawa is leaning towards him, very close to simply resting his head on Bokuto’s shoulder. Bokuto, very distantly, hears himself gulp.

He has a hard time focusing on the movie after that, half-heartedly paying attention to the nimble foxes flitting across the snow. It’s not from a lack of trying though, he’s trying _so hard._ The narrator’s saying something about their hunting patterns and Bokuto thinks he might be adjusted to this scenario.

Then it happens.

Kuroo stretches his arm and rests it behind the heads of the other two, while Oikawa closes the gap between them, resting his head against Bokuto’s shoulder. Bokuto finds himself effectively slotted against Kuroo with Oikawa pressed up against his side. His face might actually be on fire, he’s not sure.

When he first tries to speak he chokes on air, coughing as subtly as he can before clearing his throat. “Uh? Guys? What’s, uh, what’s going on?”

Oikawa glances up at him, lifting his head “Is this uncomfortable Owl-san? If so we can move.”

“N-no, it’s just unexpected is all! You’re fine, really, this is nice!” His voice is embarrassingly squeaky and he can _feel_ Kuroo trying not to laugh at him. Both metaphorically and physically, he can actually feel his chest quivering a bit, from where he’s pressed up against him.

Oikawa nods and puts his head back down, Bokuto staring at the brown locks as he feels him speak. “Good, because I’m very comfortable.”

“O-okay good.”

The rest of the movie passes without incident, no one moving and Bokuto blinking when he realizes it’s over. He clears his throat absentmindedly and makes to get up when he feels Oikawa and Kuroo move away, the latter placing a hand on his shoulder.

“We have a question for you.” Kuroo sounds deadly serious. Bokuto turns and locks eyes with him, there’s no hint of an easy grin or the soft humor that normally sits in his eyes.

“Okay?” He feels that he’s locked up and forces himself to relax a bit, focusing on unclenching muscles that had locked up. The cushions behind him shift and he senses Oikawa moving around the coffee table to sit on the arm of the couch, behind Kuroo.

Oikawa shoots him what he can only assume is supposed to be a soothing smile, but it only succeeds in setting Bokuto’s heart further into overdrive. “We were wondering if you were, uh. Interested.”

“Interested?” He parrots back.

Kuroo clears his throat. “In joining our relationship.”

Bokuto feels his head swim a bit, his vision of the two in front of him swirling a bit. “Huh? How? What? Why?” His brain feels a bit fried as he turns his head and simply stares at the floor.

Kuroo drops his arm to give him some space. Oikawa speaks up from behind him “Polyamory. We would all be each other’s boyfriends. We would do couple stuff, but with three people instead of two.”

 “We don’t expect an answer straight away! So if you need some time, you have it, and if you’re totally not interested we’ll drop it and never bring it up again. Promise.” Kuroo sounds a bit frantic as he watches Bokuto’s eyes glaze over.

He hears Oikawa speak up next. “We understand this is probably a bit much, but we’ve been talking it over fo-”

“YES!” Bokuto’s head snaps back up as he cuts him off.

One of Oikawa’s eyebrows raises slowly as he examines Bokuto’s face. “You don’t want to think this over some more?”

Bokuto shakes his head. “I’m sure!” He feels more than sees Kuroo throw his arms around him, he returns the favor, holding onto him tight.

“Kuroo! We said we wouldn’t jump him!” Oikawa’s using his special admonishing voice.

When Kuroo speaks it’s muffled against Bokuto’s shoulders and almost tickles. “It’s a hug, chill, it’s not like we’ve got our dicks out. Yet.”

“TETSU-CHAN!!”

Kuroo pulls away and holds one of Bokuto’s hands in his. “Sorry. Oikawa wants to romance you all proper like.”

Bokuto feels his eyes go wide and a small wondrous smile on his face. “Bro, I’m so ready. Bring on the woo-ing.” Oikawa huffs and crosses his arms, puffing out his cheeks at the two of them before sighing and then leaning forward to whisper in Kuroo’s ear.

Kuroo laughs and then nods before standing up, still holding onto his hand. Oikawa moves to Bokuto’s other side and grabs his other hand. Bokuto throws his head back with a laugh, “Woah, you guys are serious!”

He feels Oikawa slap his arm lightly. “Of course we are, I take romance very seriously Kou-chan.”

Inexplicably, he feels his cheeks flush slightly at his new nickname.

Kuroo chuckles on his other side. “We’re walking you to your room.”

“Nice, very courteous.” They make their way and pause at the stairs, eventually deciding to keep holding hands, making an awkward train that they all laugh at the absurdity of.

They get to his room and Oikawa pecks him on each cheek before winking and turning around, going to his and Kuroo’s room. “Goodnight!”

Bokuto feels more than a little dazed as he softly returns the sentiment. He’s brought back down to earth by the feeling of Kuroo’s hand hooking under his chin, gently pressing their lips together.

It’s like their mouths remember each other and they easily slot against one another. It starts chaste but then someone adds a tongue (Bokuto isn’t sure who) and it gets a little more intense. They each recall what the other likes and the kiss is made even better by the fact that they’ve both had a little more practice since the last time. Kuroo remembers how much Bokuto likes teeth, but has the skill to keep their teeth from clacking together now, and Bokuto remembers that Kuroo likes tongue, but has had enough practice that he isn’t simply shoving his tongue down his throat.

It’s nice, comfortable, but still exciting.

“Ahem!” They both start at the sound, but only leave an inch of space between their faces. When Bokuto turns his head slightly he sees Oikawa leaning against their bedroom door, glaring at Kuroo. “Taking it slowly.”

This close to him, he can see Kuroo’s mouth turn up ever so slightly as he rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He leans forward a bit and they touch foreheads. When he speaks again it’s a whisper. “Goodnight, Ko.”

Bokuto whispers back “Goodnight, Tetsu.”

Kuroo flashes him a cheesy grin before pecking him on the lips and turning. “Give me some credit, I can keep it in my pants y’know.”

Bokuto backs into his own room, starting to close his own door, but still catching Oikawa’s reply. “You could’ve fooled me.”

When he lays in his bed he’s overcome with emotion. On the one hand, he’s elated, he’s in a relationship with TWO of his crushes. On the other hand, he’s one short.

He pulls his blankets over himself and sighs.

_Whatever, two of my crushes want to be with me. That’s enough, it has to be._

_After all, I’d be a fool to ask for more._

_Wouldn’t I?_

He falls asleep with a self-deprecating smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> psst, if you're curious the OT3 is more of an OT4, Akaashi was just the last to join and this fic was a focus on Bokuto  
> if you're interested in discussing the OT4 you can talk to me at my tumblr [here](http://tuscedomask.tumblr.com)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> self-indulgent ot4 (OiKuroBokuAka) (pls give it a chance)  
> Akaashi-centric, mild angst but mostly boyfriends being cute

Akaashi Keiji felt like he was trying his best, he really did. This relationship was great, if overwhelming at times, especially considering he had to re-evaluate, well, almost everything to get to this point. He knew that it wouldn’t always be picture-perfect, he knew that if those moments weren’t peppered in with shitty ones he wouldn’t appreciate it as much.

But still, that knowledge, didn’t make this any easier. This still just plain sucked. 

He rolls over onto his side and shivers. _I’ve grown so used to having a warm body next to mine…_

* * *

 

To be honest the day had started kinda shitty, he was always the last to wake up, and so he was typically alone, that he was used to. What he wasn’t used to was all of his boyfriends skipping out the door before he can even finish his first cup of coffee.

He’d just made it down the stairs when he noticed, still clad in his pajama pants and an oversized shirt, not bothering with getting dressed since it was a Saturday and he had nowhere to be. His foot hit the last step and he yawned as he stumbled into the kitchen, looking around at everyone in confusion, both at the fact that everyone was dressed and looked ready to go somewhere, food already eaten and dishes in the sink, and at the complete and utter silence that hung in the kitchen. He turned first to Kuroo, whom he wasn’t surprised to see acting as if nothing was up. As if complete silence throughout the house was ever a good sign, especially when everyone was in the same room. He then turned to Bokuto –probably his best bet, since he let stuff slip all the time- and opened his mouth, wincing at his own voice before clearing his throat and trying again. “What’s up? I thought everyone was free this weekend?” Bokuto’s eyes widen and dart away from Akaashi’s and just as he’s about to pry, Oikawa cuts in.

“We all thought we did too, but somethings come up.” Oikawa makes a clucking noise and hands Akaashi a cup of coffee.  

Akaashi takes a sip and wanders over to the stove, examining the remains of breakfast. “Hmm.” He’s surprised by a wet smack to his cheek and looks up to find Oikawa smiling at his side.

“We don’t know how long we’ll be, so we’ll keep in touch okay dear?” He gives him another, neater, kiss before leaving the kitchen.

Kuroo comes up and slings an arm over his shoulders, giving him a light squeeze before kissing his forehead. “See ya later.” Akaashi feels the tips of his ears turn red as he makes his exit, affection from Kuroo was still a bit harder for him to handle. He’d been friends with Bokuto for so long, and Oikawa was always an affectionate friend but-

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by Bokuto nuzzling his head between Akaashi’s shoulder blades. He feels his arms wrap around his waist and the weight of Bokuto’s head disappears before he’s turned around, coffee still in his hand and then Bokuto’s lips are on his and its soft and chaste and makes his chest feel tight, like when Oikawa insists on cuddling Akaashi when it’s late and he can’t sleep, or when Kuroo texts him stupid gushy messages.

“We’re not going off to war, bro come on!” Akaashi can see that he’s leaning against the doorway with an easy grin splitting his face. _I wonder how long he was standing there, probably a while._

When Bokuto finally breaks away he doesn’t move his hands, leaning back only a bit and smiling brightly at Akaashi. “We’ll be back before you know it! Promise!” He gives him one last peck on the lips before turning and leaving the kitchen, grabbing Kuroo by the belt loops on his way out. “Bro how long were you watching, what a perv!” Bokuto laughs loudly,

“What, am I not allowed to watch the tender embrace of my boyfriends? Sounds like a harsh rule to me Bo.” He can practically hear the smirk on Kuroo’s face as he sips his coffee and makes his plate.

Oikawa’s reply has him nearly choking on his coffee although he barely hears it before the door slams. “Is it really appropriate to call someone who’s had their dick in your orifices “Bro”?”

* * *

 

Its 3 hours later and Akaashi’s washed every dish, cleaned every table, counter, and floor, and even managed to put a dent in their laundry. He stares at his violin from where it’s sat on the coffee table, he really should practice, but he’d already practiced extra during the week, anticipating a weekend where he’d be a little more preoccupied. By his three boyfriends. Who have yet to check in.

He blows a puff of air out of his mouth and falls back onto the couch, laying across the cushions and staring at the ceiling. 

_Maybe I could go that music store in the mall? I could get some strings and maybe look around the mall some, it’s been awhile since I was there. Maybe I could pick up some more towels too…_

Feeling happy to have something to do, Akaashi got up and changed into clothes that weren’t covered in dust, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his wallet before locking the door behind him.

Less than an hour later finds him leaving the music shop with his strings and his stomach grumbling.

_I should have eaten before I left…_

With a sigh, he turns and heads for the food court, contemplating his options and settling on a cheap burger combo. He hasn’t been with the boys for long, but it already feels weird to be out in public like this all alone. It’s nice, but reminds him of… lonelier times. _Maybe I should get out like this more often, if only because I really have time to think. They do say absence makes the heart grow fonder._ It’s only been 4 or so hours and Akaashi can attest to that, although to be fair, he’d hardly seen any of them this week, all of them barely having time to catch their breath. He feels a small smile on his face as he remembers the way Bokuto and Oikawa had passed out on the couch more than once this week, both determined to get through an episode of the show they’d been watching together, but neither making it past five minutes in. Kuroo had snapped more than a few pictures and Akaashi had just been grateful he hadn’t been between them, that had happened before and while he appreciated the thought, sleeping on the couch with two other people was really not an ideal sleeping position. His train of thought is abruptly cut short as he scans the crowd and catches sight of a familiar mop of hair, flopping by the crowd and towards the food court.

Akaashi wipes his hands on a napkin and stands up with his trash and shopping bag, throwing out his trash before making his way towards the trademark bedhead. As he gets closer he can make out Bokuto’s full bellied-laugh and Oikawa’s indignant noises. For the first time in a long time, Akaashi feels a little pissed and stops a few feet from the three of them, their backs all turned to him.

_They could’ve told me they were here…_

He shakes his head once to rid himself of the negative thoughts, _they might have just gotten here, or they’re only taking a lunch break, or something._

He clears his throat and swings his bag so that it hits Bokuto, Kuroo, and then Oikawa in the back of the knees. They all visibly jump and turn, almost in sync, and Akaashi doesn’t bother trying to hide his smirk at the sight. “Well, well.”

Bokuto looks startled and then guilty, Kuroo looks mildly surprised and then kind of tense, and Oikawa doesn’t give away a lot, except for slapping on his charming smile and greeting him enthusiastically. “Akaashi! You look so cute in those pants!” Akaashi feels his anger flare up again.

_They’re trying to hide something. Well then._

He feels the smirk slide off his face and be replaced by his default apathetic mask. He takes a deep breath in and tries to let the anger go, but it’s slow to leave. “I didn’t expect to run into you three here, maybe we can all shop together, I kinda wanted to get some more towels…” He breaks himself off as he sees everyone grow just a fraction more uncomfortable. He takes a deep breath. It doesn’t help.

Kuroo reaches out and places a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry but we-”

Akaashi takes a step back, forcing Kuroo’s hand to fall, controlling his movements carefully, fisting his hands at his side and keeping his chin level. “I see, I’ll be going then. Enjoy yourselves.” He turns on his heel and keeps his posture perfectly straight as he walks away from them and towards the nearest exit. If they call his name behind him, he doesn’t hear them.

* * *

 

He goes about making dinner mechanically. Chopping vegetables and boiling rice and feeling the tiniest bit robotic, but unable to help himself.

_I’d always thought I was just imagining being left out. Or that it made more sense, since I was the last…_

He slams the lid back on the pot with a little more force than necessary and takes a deep breath. It’s been around 2 hours since he got back, he hasn’t bothered checking his messages, content to stew in his discontent for now. He pulls himself out of his thoughts and looks around the kitchen, realizing that dinner’s done.

He rolls up his sleeves and starts washing the dishes, wiping the counters afterwards and standing in front of the cupboards for five minutes before finally deciding not to set the table. When he leaves the kitchen he doesn’t hesitate before picking up his violin from the living room and going up to the spare room that houses his music and stand. He really doesn’t need the sheet music much anymore, but it’s nice to have the stand in front of him while he plays.

His mind goes blissfully quiet and he focuses on nothing but the sound of his violin for an hour or so. When he finally puts it down he listens for any noises before going downstairs and confirming that he’s still home alone. He sighs once before his phone beeps at him, he looks down at it in annoyance, expecting another message but instead getting the low battery notification. He huffs and goes upstairs to get the charger, grabbing a book from their nightstand and deciding to just charge it in the living room while he reads.

 He doesn’t read so much as stare at the pages while he zones out. He doesn’t know how much time passes before he hears mumbling outside before the lock turns and they all come in. The first thing his eyes zero in on is the take-out bag dangling from Bokuto’s hand. He sighs louder than he intends and puts the book on the arm of the couch. He feels their eyes follow them as he gets up and goes to the kitchen, pulling the Tupperware they have for leftovers out and putting away the dinner (now cold) sitting on the stove. The pots and pans go into the sink with an accusatory clang that reverberates through the house and then he hears footsteps towards the kitchen. Suddenly the silence is filled with three voices at once.

“We got your-”

“Oh, we can-”

“We tried-”

They all cut off at the sound of the other’s voices and Akaashi just walks towards the doorway that they’re all now crowding. “Thank you, but I think I’m just going to go to bed, goodnight.” He feels their eyes burning holes into his skull as he walks past them and he doesn’t think twice about sleeping on the futon in the spare room his violin is in. He tries to be quiet as possible when he pulls the spare pillows and blankets from the linen closet, but every sound he makes feels too loud. His very breathing is too invasive, too indicative of his presence when he wants only to disappear for a while.

He’ll settle for a little privacy for now.

As he closes the door behind him, he hesitates. He stares down the doorknob. Finally, he sighs before leaving the lock untouched.

As he makes his bed he can’t help but wonder if he’s made an ass of himself. He lays underneath the blankets and stares up at the ceiling, knowing he won’t get a lot of sleep, on good nights he can pass out around midnight, he doesn’t know what time it is, but he does know that tonight is not a good night.

* * *

 

He hears murmuring right outside the door, so he closes his eyes to try and focus in. His eyebrows scrunch up in concentration, but all he can pick up is that it sounds like Bokuto’s right outside his door. He could get up to listen closer, but it hardly seems necessary, and in the quiet they’d probably hear him moving. He’ll settle for introspection for now.

He resists the urge to toss and turn, taking the time to try to organize his thoughts.

_Once or twice would be fine, but I feel like every time we leave the house as a group I’m an outsider. Any time someone needs to hang back, I’m volunteered. If they all need to do something, they go together but don’t quite invite me. In some ways, it’s almost like **they’re** still getting used to me…_

_No, because at home it’s… perfectly normal._

Maybe that’s what throws him for such a loop. _They always hesitate to include me in anything going on outside the house. Could it be they’re ashamed?_

Akaashi shakes his head once at the ceiling and smirks openly. _Oikawa likes dressing me up too much for it to be that, not to mention the… praise._ He feels his ears warm at the memories of some of the things they’ve said, both in bed and out of it. There’s also the fact that he knows all of them so well by now, it seems unlikely any of them would ever be ashamed, they never were when it was just the three of them, adding one more to the mix doesn’t seem like it would be the tipping point for any of them.

_At first, it was alright, I hadn’t had a boyfriend before, let alone three, so I needed to adjust. They must think I still need the time…_

He sighs into the darkness and closes his eyes, hopefully this is all sorted by a simple heart-to-heart.

Feeling at peace (finally) Akaashi closes his eyes and settles back into the pillows getting comfortable. A few minutes later his eyes fly open.

 _Still a bad night on that front, it seems._ He gets up and turns on the floor lamp, the gentle glow of it illuminating his violin (too late and he’s not that spiteful…yet) and a few books. He grabs a dog eared copy of some stupid romance novel (it might be any of theirs, he’s honestly lost track) and settles in for the rest of the night.

He looks up from the book when the sky starts getting lighter and decides to just get up. He grabs his violin and hits the kitchen first, setting up the coffee maker and staring outside as it brews. After he’s made his cup he pads out to the back porch, quietly shutting the door behind him and just standing there, watching the sunrise and sipping at his coffee. He doesn’t often start (end?) his days like this, but when he does, he can’t help but feel at peace. He’s never the first one up, but he’s got everyone else beat for staying up. It’s nice, just him and the world, the sun slowly warming the air and chasing away shadows, the promise of a fresh new day. The birds sing and Akaashi feels inspired.

He sets his coffee mug down and brings his violin up to his chin.

When he brings it back down, the sun has risen completely and he revels in how at peace he feels. He retrieves his coffee mug and goes back inside, heading towards the kitchen, but changing course to the spare room when he hears the sounds of breakfast being cooked. Once in the room he puts his violin away and folds up the bedding he had dragged out and gives the room a once over before turning off the lamp and closing the door behind him. He puts the pillows and blankets back in the linen closet and then goes into the master bathroom, brushing his teeth and washing his face before heading back downstairs.

Once he enters the kitchen he ignores the pointedly-not-looking-at-him stares of all three of them. Kuroo’s giving too much attention to the pancakes on the stove, Bokuto’s moping much too hard to actually be reading that paper, and Oikawa’s scrolling through his phone too fast to be really seeing anything. He manages to not roll his eyes at their awkward behavior and instead rinses out his mug, which he’d miraculously not left somewhere else in the house, and setting it aside.

He turns around and leans with his back against the sink, thinking through his options and settling for a direct approach. He faces Kuroo first, who’s just finished flipping the last pancake and whose poker face is the worst Akaashi’s ever seen it. He walks up to him and stands on his tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek. “Good morning, Kuroo-san.”

Kuroo freezes and looks mildly panicked, but Akaashi ignores him and approaches the table, where Bokuto and Oikawa both look confused but still aren’t looking at him. He leans down and kisses Bokuto on the cheek next. “Good morning, Bokuto-san.” Bokuto doesn’t freeze but does look supremely lost. He leans across the table to kiss Oikawa’s cheek next, but is surprised when Oikawa turns his head the last second and he instead kisses the corner of his mouth.

Akaashi pulls away and raises an eyebrow. “How forward, Akaashi, you’ve barely seen-”

Akaashi cuts him off by kissing him squarely on the cheek this time and keeping his face by Oikawa’s. “Good morning, Oikawa-san.”

He quietly celebrates the slight flush of everyone’s faces as he takes a seat at the table, right as Kuroo’s setting down the plate of pancakes. “Well, we have a lot to talk about, I think, but we can talk after breakfast.”

The silence isn’t as uncomfortable as before, still far from their normal breakfast chatter, but not intolerable, and before he knows it everyone’s done and he’s at the end of three rather intense stares.

Kuroo speaks first, “Look, we weren’t exactly upfront yesterday, but we swear we weren’t doing it to be spiteful.”

“The opposite, in fact.” Oikawa pipes in, with bright eyes and a small smile.

“Look, we felt kinda bad, cause we noticed we weren’t really including you, and plus this week was so hectic…” Kuroo’s face goes a bit pink and Akaashi fights to keep his face neutral and open. He snaps his head over to Bokuto when he sees him squirming in his seat, with an equally sheepish face. He can’t help himself, he raises an eyebrow and opens his mouth.

“We wanted to get you a gift!” Bokuto finally, predictably, spills. Akaashi closes his mouth and feels his eyebrows draw closes together.

“Oh?” His voice comes out small, and he finds himself staring at a chip in the table, despite his efforts to keep his cool.

He sees Bokuto nod vigorously from his periphery. He practically hears Oikawa and Kuroo’s exasperation in the air.

He pulls himself out of his introspection and looks at each of them slowly. “So… what did you get me?”

They all become varying levels of smug, Bokuto being the closest to pure joy and Kuroo and Oikawa fighting for the most annoying shit-eating grin. Akaashi sighs.

“In any case, that’s… I appreciate the thought. It was sweet.” Akaashi feels his ears start to burn as they all focus in on him again, looking genuinely concerned the longer he takes to gather his thoughts. He stares at the scratch on the table again and takes a deep breath. “I know you’ve been excluding me because you thought I needed more time to adjust, and while I’m nowhere near ready to try to keep up with you three all the time…” He looks up from the table and meets all of their eyes before continuing “I think I’d like to do more with you outside of the house. It can be… emotionally taxing to go from so much attention and affection inside the house to being so alone outside of it. It would be nice to be with everyone more.” He sees the grin overtaking Bokuto’s face and addresses him specifically. “That’s not to say I want to get thrown out of any public spaces for PDA, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto practically squawks in indignation “Why is that directed at me?”

Akaashi looks to Oikawa and Kuroo meaningfully. “It goes for everyone.” He turns back to Bokuto, “Specifically you though because you’re the only one who’s had an incident more than once.”

“Not fair! Oikawa is a wicked tempter! And Kuroo dared me!” Bokuto glares at both of them in turn.

“Well in any case, I for one would be more than happy to include you in more outings.” Oikawa flashes him a genuine smile and reaches over to tousle his hair. “Plus I think I speak for all of us when I say we love showing off that we have the most gorgeous boyfriend.” Akaashi opens his mouth to protest but is cut off by Kuroo.

“That’s for damn sure, Oikawa’s been getting pretty egotistical when we go out lately, and we need you to remind him he’s not the only pretty one in this relationship.” Kuroo wears a self-satisfied grin at the sight of Oikawa huffing. Akaashi rolls his eyes at their antics before he lets out a yawn so strong his eyes water.

“Say, Akaashi, you’re never up this early aren’t you tired?” Bokuto looks at him with his brows drawn low in worry.

Akaashi stands up and stretches, not missing the appreciative glances everyone gives him as he does so. “Yeah, I didn’t sleep a wink last night, so now that everything’s sorted I’m gonna go crash.”

“No sleep and he still looks that good? How cruel.” Oikawa sighs and stands up, gathering plates as he does so.

“Akaashi, you need to sleep! You can’t run on fumes, you become a hazard!” Bokuto gets up and grabs him by the shoulders.

He ignores Kuroo’s admonishing stare from where he’s still sat at the table and gives Bokuto an exasperated look. “I know, Bokuto-san, I’m going to go to sleep now, if you’ll let me.” He takes a step back and runs into Oikawa, who’s finished putting dishes in the sink and grabs Akaashi around the waist, pressing his chest into Akaashi’s back and hooking his chin over his shoulder.

“If you still have trouble falling asleep at night I have this tea I use on nights I can’t sleep. It works pretty well.” Akaashi resigns himself to his fate of coddling, overly attentive boyfriends when he hears Kuroo speak up.

“You know, I think the best thing to help him sleep would be a goodnight kiss.” He gets up from the table and walks to where everyone else is standing between the table and the sink. He smiles down at Akaashi before leaning down and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

“It’s morning Kuroo-san.” He gently detangles himself from Oikawa before trying to make a break for it.

“Me next!” He’s intercepted by Bokuto, who stands in front of him expectantly before Akaashi sighs and leans up, giving him a quick kiss like the one Kuroo gave him. Bokuto smiles proudly before disappearing from the kitchen, and then Akaashi feels Oikawa grab his shoulders and then he feels a light kiss to the top of his head before he’s released.

“Sweet dreams, Akaashi.” He hears Oikawa turn around and busy himself at the sink.

He sighs and makes his way to their bedroom.

_Finally._

He collapses onto their bed and buries himself into the blankets. He frowns in spite of himself when he realizes he’d drift off faster with someone, or three someones, lying next to him.  In the end exhaustion does the trick though.

* * *

 

He wakes up to gentle nudging on his shoulder and whispers of his name. He cracks an eye open and glares up at…

_What the actual fuck._

Sitting on the other side of the room, directly in his line of sight, is the biggest stuffed bear he’s ever seen. It’s bigger than him, he’s sure.

He becomes aware of a warm presence behind him and turns around to find everyone lying in bed with him. Bokuto directly behind him, then Kuroo and Oikawa behind him.

“How long did I sleep?” He’s not asking about the bear yet. He’s too tired.

“An hour.” Oikawa doesn’t look remotely sorry from his end.

“Hnnng.” Akaashi crawls over Bokuto to lay more in the middle of the bed.

“Oho? Is someone feeling snuggly today?” His eyes drift shut at the feeling of Kuroo’s hands carding through his hair.

“`s warm here.” He feels sleep tugging him down again.

“Not gonna comment on the bear?” He feels a shift in the bed and suspects Oikawa is leaning over Kuroo to stare at him.

He opens his eyes with what feels like monumental willpower and looks up at each of them. “Unnecessary.” Amusement fills his head as he watches their expressions turn a bit sour. He yawns and feels a sleepy smile overtake his face. “This, everyone like this, is the best gift.” His eyes drift shut.

There’s suddenly arms around his waist and he’s being pushed into a chest, his legs and hands tangling with someone else’s.

“Too cute! Not fair!” He barely makes out Oikawa’s whining before he gets one last idea.

The smile on his face grows wider as he speaks, slightly muffled but still audible. “Thank you, Koutarou, Tetsurou and Tooru.”  Their reactions are muffled by the fog of sleep that overtakes him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gestures* ehhhh? I think it's a polyship worth more attention, not to mention like maybe 3 of my friends and I are the only ones that ship it, so if you liked it lemme know, I'm definitely up to writing more of it (probably will)


	6. Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More OT4, but very short.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Smut
> 
> I was also kinda drunk while writing this, so there's that.

Kuroo’s mouth marks Oikawa’s body, sucking dark marks along his skin. He relishes the noises that the man below him makes, high whines and low groans. He slams his hips harder and at just the right angle, watching and feeling as muscles clench beneath him. Oikawa’s body is a taut string, ready to break any moment.

Kuroo isn’t in much better shape. It had been so long since it had been just him and Oikawa. Not that he minded Bokuto or Akaashi being in on it as well. Hell, he loved when everyone could have a good time.

There was just something nostalgic about having Oikawa spread out below him. About the way that he demanded Kuroo’s attention. About feeling needed in that visceral way and knowing _he_ was the only one capable of satisfying that primal itch.

Maybe he had just missed having Oikawa all to himself. He could admit that to himself, that he simply missed some simplicity every now and again. He pushed his sweaty hair out of his face before grabbing Oikawa’s hips and watching him claw at the sheets, his face burying itself in the pillows below him to muffle his groan.

He realized he wasn’t going to last much longer, so he reached around and started pumping Oikawa, hoping to get him to finish first. Oikawa whipped his head up at that and groaned, long and drawn out. Kuroo was about to lean down to whisper in his ear when Oikawa shouted something.

A name.

Not his name.

“Kouuuu~”

Kuroo’s hips and hand abruptly stopped, and he felt Oikawa stiffen in the not-fun way below him. Oikawa clapped a hand over his mouth and looked over his shoulder at the man who was currently still buried in his ass before he buried his own head in the pillows and groaned. Also in the not-fun way.

Mood thoroughly broken, Kuroo slid out and laid down beside one of his boyfriends.

“You, uh, wanna talk about it?”

He replied, words muffled by the pillow.

“I’d know what to say to that if I’d been able to hear it.” He pokes him between the shoulder blades.

Oikawa moves his head to the side, but so that he’s not facing Kuroo.

“Sorry, it’s just that it’s normally Kou that grabs my hips like that, y’know. When it’s all of us.” Oikawa’s voice is soft, sheepish, carrying the weight of what he’d said like it was a thousand tons.

Kuroo reached his hand out and ran it along his back, keeping his touch feather-light. “It’s okay, it’s been awhile since it was just us.”

“Yeah.” His reply is soft and distant.

“Hey.” Kuroo shakes his shoulder, softly, not stopping until Oikawa turns around to face him.

Once he does he sees nothing but shame and regret written on his features. Lower lip drawn between his teeth, eyebrows drawn down low, eyes looking at him, but not seeing him.

“Hey.” He repeats, softer, hand going up to caress his jawline. “It really is okay.”

Oikawa smiles at him, looking a bit more present in the here and now. “I know.”

Kuroo smiles back at him and leans in for a gentle kiss, just their lips meeting and melding together. Intimate in its simplicity, reminding them both of the days before they’d drawn the other two loves of their lives into this thing that they’d built.

“HEY HEY HEY! Did I hear my name earlier?!”

They’re both drawn out of their chaste kiss by a familiar voice at the door. When they look up neither are surprised to see Bokuto standing there. Although they are both surprised by his attire.

Or lack thereof.

“Bro, what happened to your pants?” Kuroo’s voice is almost indignant.

“Well, it sounded like there were sexytimes happening, so I wanted to be ready.” His face dropped the tiniest bit.

“Kou, just, uh, give us a minute.”

Bokuto gives them both a brilliant grin before waving. “Alright, don’t let me interrupt your good times!” He saunters off down the hall, but they both know he’ll be waiting within earshot until one of them calls back to him.

Kuroo gives Oikawa a shrug before going in to continue their previous kiss. “Koutarou can wait a few more minutes, yeah?”


	7. From Coffee to Cross-Dimensions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hahaha what do you mean I still need to finish another au?? lmao I wrote this to relax after my awful week and it worked

Akaashi brings the cup of coffee up to his lips and languidly turns the page of the text he’s reading. An antiquated book of untranslated old poems- he finds he prefers them in their original language these days. They remind him of the simpler times, when he roamed freely with his brothers and sisters, meeting new people and not having to worry about much besides when the next festival was. He can still feel the sunlight on his face and the thrill up his spine when he laughed with a newfound friend out on the road, the ease with which he learned more about them.

These days it’s never quite so simple, people keep their guards up and are wary of strangers. Nostalgia washes over him and sweeps him away, into the tide of memories he finds himself so easily lost in. He’s finally shaken from the trance when he hears the bell above the door to the café open, causing him to look up from his book and survey his surroundings.

Then again, he thinks as he sips the coffee, the modern era did provide more indulgences, such as some of the other books he read and the imported beans used to brew coffee at this café. As he cast his gaze around, looking over the people, he had to admit that the advances in health science were much to his liking as well. Out of the corner of his eye he watched one person in particular, they almost seemed to glow with health and youth. A body that was only attainable through farm work for the past few centuries now granted by trips to the gym and a diet previously completely unattainable but for the upper class.

 

 

Indeed there was much he missed, but Akaashi finds that when one door closes, many open.

Bokuto tries not to stare at the dark-haired beauty across the café, but it’s difficult when they look so pretty. His eyes unconsciously trace their cheekbones down to their neck, adorned by a choker that seems to draw his eyes to the pale column.

He sighs into his hot chocolate and looks down at his phone. It’s hardly the first time he’s seen them here, in fact it almost seems like every time Bokuto comes they’re sitting there in that corner seat. Always reading something, sometimes books that are thick old tomes, sometimes brand new paperbacks. Bokuto can’t quite get a read on them, except that they’re ethereal and have somehow charmed him without uttering a single word.

 

It’s been months since he first saw them and he still can’t get up the guts to even introduce himself. All he can manage is to sit and watch him from afar. He unlocks his phone and starts scrolling through social media, trying to distract himself from his own lamenting. It works for a bit, and he finds himself caught up in click-bait articles before he knows it.

His drink has just started to turn that awkward state of lukewarm when he’s drawn out of an article about the top twenty-five 80’s break up hits by a shadow appearing over his table. He looks up and nearly chokes on air at the sight of his café crush taking the seat across from him.

He blinks once, twice and watches the brunet lean forward a bit, arms crossed on the table in front of him. The action seems to call attention to his collarbones, exposed by a dark v-neck. The man across from him says nothing but tilts his head a bit, making Bokuto feel the full force of his scrutiny, pinned down simply by his hooded gaze.

“Hello?” His voice comes out scratchier than he wants, but at least he said something. If nothing else comes of the pretty stranger sitting across from him, at least he finally greeted the person he’s spent part of 6 months staring at.

The stranger’s mouth curls up at one end and Bokuto feels his heart skip a beat. They unfold one arm and outstretch their hand towards him. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Akaashi Keiji.” Their tone is matter of fact, as if they introduce themselves to strangers that were staring at him all the time. Bokuto thinks that actually might be probable, with how beautiful they are.

Bokuto dumbly grabs his hand and shakes, meeting his eyes as he did so. “My name’s Bokuto Koutarou, it’s nice to meet you too. Well, formally. I feel like we’ve seen each other a lot.” As he stares into the emerald pools he feels an odd sort of peace wash over him. Maybe it’s the color, like a forest after a long day of rain, dark and vibrant.

Akaashi gives him a hard to read look, but his voice comes out amused. “Indeed.”

He resists the urge to squirm under that indecipherable look and clears his throat.

“Do you have any plans tonight?”

His eyes widen a bit and he swallows. There was no way this was actually happening. He sneaks a hand under the table and pinches himself- ow.

He clears his throat again. “No?”

Akaashi twines his hands together and bends his fingers slightly, playing with his hands. Bokuto’s eyes follow the movement. “Would you like to go to a party with me tonight?”

His eyes snapped up to meet Akaashi’s.

“Yes.” It came out kind of breathless and not at all cool sounding.

Akaashi gave him a small smile.

* * *

 

Bokuto knows his hand is sweaty and begins to wonder if he isn’t grossing Akaashi out. He briefly considers pulling their hands apart, but can’t quite bring himself too. Akaashi had been the one to grab his hand, helping to lead him through the woods to his friend’s party. 

Akaashi looks back at him and Bokuto feels that strange calm sweep over him again as their eyes meet. Any worries about his sweaty hand melt away.

A branch snaps under his foot and he wonders at the fact that Akaashi is able to glide through the underbrush so quietly. He doesn’t think he’s even heard leaves crunch under his feet. A small shiver travels down his spine at the realization, but then Akaashi squeezes his hand and Bokuto’s heart calms again. 

After a few more minutes of seemingly wandering through the forest they come to a clearing and Bokuto nearly runs into Akaashi with how quickly he halts. He looks past him and sees two figures standing about ten feet away.

“Are those your friends?”

Bokuto can’t make out his face, but his tone sounds flat. “Not really.”

“Oh.” He feels a palpable tension in the air.

“Good evening, Keiji.” The shorter of the pair breaks the silence. Bokuto steps around Akaashi, who lets go of his hand as he does so.

“Hello, Kozume-san. Kuroo-san.” Akaashi nods his head towards the short blond and tall man in turn. They step closer and Bokuto feels an undercurrent of energy, like the tension from before, only somehow simply _more_. Bokuto studies his face under the moonlight and sees his nose and brows crinkled a bit. Despite that, he looks just as elegant and pretty, it’s oddly endearing. Or should he even be surprised at how lovely finds him anymore? He’s in deep.

“Hey Akaashi, who’s your friend?” Kuroo-san, presumably, asks and Bokuto notices he has some of the wildest hair he’s ever seen.

“This is Bokuto Koutarou.” Bokuto watches him answer without taking his eyes off Kuroo.

He swallows at the lump in his throat. Akaashi’s eyes cut sharply to Kenma as he speaks up. “Do you really want to do this?” Bokuto looks over at him too, but looks away at how intensely he’s staring at Akaashi.

“Bokuto, huh?” Kuroo’s stepped closer and is giving him a lazy grin. “Like the owl, right?”

He blinks once meeting his gaze, which was much less intense than his friends. “Uh, yeah.”

“Maybe you could rely on some of that legendary owl wisdom to think this through.”

“Huh?” Bokuto feels his forehead wrinkle. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” he drawls “this whole thing with Akaashi. I know what he seems like to you, well, probably. But as his friend, I don’t think you should be mixed up with him.” The smile stays on his face, but it looks faker by the second. “He doesn’t have a very good, uh, what’s the phrase? Running record?”

“Track record?” Bokuto’s confusion grows by the second.

He points a finger towards him and snaps. “Yeah! Track record, that’s the one. His is bad. Really bad.”

Bokuto glances over to Akaashi, who’s now speaking in hushed whispers with Kenma. “Okay?”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t go with him tonight. Or any night actually.” The grin finally falls off his face and his mouth settles into a firm line.

He looks back at Akaashi to confirm he isn’t listening before leaning in, Kuroo mirroring him. “How bad could it be? Is he like, a black widow?”

Kuroo laughs, shallow and sharp. “Not quite, no. But it’s still bad.”

Bokuto turns one last time, watching Akaashi in profile. The moonlight cut soft contrast on his features and he looked almost painfully beautiful. He remembers all the times he’d walked into the café and seen him sitting at his corner, quietly reading and smiling down at his books. The few times he’d seen Akaashi walk in, nose and cheeks slightly flushed from the cold.

“Whatever it is, it’s worth it.”

He hears him emit a low whistle and turns sharply towards him, eyes slightly narrowed. “You’ve got it pretty bad, man.”

He stands up straight and runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah.”

Kuroo shrugs. “Well, I tried, at least.” He puts his hands on his hips and turns towards the other two. “Kenma! It’s no good.”

Kenma for his part looks equally annoyed as Akaashi now does, but he only gives Akaashi one last glance before walking towards Kuroo. They turn to leave and make it a few steps before Kenma pauses and turns partially around, addressing Bokuto. “It’s your choice. Remember that.”

With that, they both fully walk into the woods that Akaashi and Bokuto just walked through.

Akaashi steps back towards him, making to grab his hand, but hesitating.

Bokuto closes the distance between their hands and twines their fingers together. He thinks he might see Akaashi smile for a second before he meets his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Would you still like to come with me?”

“I would like that a lot, yes.”

“Well, we should hurry then.”

* * *

 

It happens quickly, he can’t quite remember when they got to the party, he doesn’t remember leaving the clearing they were in, but they must have. This clearing is full of bright lights and tables of food and drinks, with a tamped down circle for dancing. He knows he can be a bit unobservant, but he’d definitely have noticed all the people. Their chatter is so loud, but not in a bad way. It’s actually almost melodic.

He watches people gather around Akaashi, people almost as pretty as him, crowded around him and chattering at him. They get so close but Bokuto doesn’t think he sees a single person touch him. Bokuto watches as he shoos them away with something muttered too softly for him to hear, then he’s walking up to Bokuto with a smile.

Akaashi places a hand gently on his wrist and leans up a bit. “Would you like to dance?” When he leans back down Bokuto watches his face and sees a perfectly neutral expression, if not for the odd gleam in his eyes.

“There’s no music.” Bokuto could punch himself, why’d he say that? Of course he wants to dance with Akaashi, there’s no reason for-

The hand on his wrist slides down and their fingers entwine. “Does there have to be?”

He feels a smile slide onto his face; that same peace Akaashi seems to instill in him settling over him once more. “No, I guess not.”

Akaashi gives him a smirk and Bokuto’s peace shatters, excitement taking its place. He follows him out to the dance floor, where others are slowly swaying and twirling, by themselves, in pairs, some even in large groups. Still, though, not a single person so much as grazes either Akaashi or Bokuto. Once they’re in the center Akaashi stops and faces Bokuto, stepping into his space and placing his hands on his shoulders.

Bokuto tentatively reaches out and places his hands awkwardly on Akaashi’s waist. He looks back to Akaashi’s face, to make sure it’s alright, but he simply snorts at him.

His heart sinks a bit, it’s been so long since he danced with someone, of course he’s not going to do it right. “Am I doing this wrong?”  

Akaashi shakes his head. “Not at all, I was just thinking how courteous you are.”

A flush settles over his cheeks. “Oh, uh, thanks.”

They sway gently to a non-existent beat for a few minutes, and Bokuto begins to feel a bit foggy. The other sounds melt away for a bit, and he finds himself focused solely on Akaashi. How long his eyelashes are, how pretty his lips are, the feeling of him moving underneath his hands. He feels himself slipping away somewhat and when he meets Akaashi’s eyes he feels as if he’s tumbling and tumbling down some space, but he can’t quite care.

A loud noise, some kind of crash, pulls him out of it and he looks sharply towards the noise. He thinks he might hear Akaashi curse under his breath before taking a step away, dropping his hands from his shoulders.

Bokuto’s hands fall away from his waist as well and he looks back over to Akaashi wearing a blank look again.

“Oikawa-san is here.” 

“Oh, is that your friend?”

His lips curl at the ends a bit. “More like family, in a sense.”

“We should go say hello, then!” The thought of meeting Akaashi’s family turns his stomach in knots a bit, but he feels it’s the right thing to do. Although maybe that’s a bit fast?

Akaashi looks over towards the commotion, sighing and tilting his head slightly. “No, we should not.”

While Akaashi’s seemingly lost in thought Bokuto has the chance to notice he still feels slightly lost, almost woozy. His throat dries up a bit. “Hey are there any drinks?”

The shorter man looks over at him so sharply Bokuto has to wonder if that was okay to say. He gives him a thoughtful look. “There are, why, are you thirsty?”

Bokuto nods.

“Then let’s go get some drinks.” Akaashi grabs his hand once more and Bokuto feels grounded. They head to a thick wooden table that Bokuto hadn’t noticed before. It’s loaded with food and drink, all the cups and plates look like they’re made of wood and Bokuto finds it charming. He picks out a cup of what looks like red wine and sniffs it, it smells heady and sweet. Normally he doesn’t like wine but it smells enchanting, when he looks over Akaashi has also picked up a cup of it. He’s not drinking it yet though, simply watching Bokuto.

Bokuto smacks his cup against Akaashi’s and grins. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

They both drink and Bokuto will take back anything he’s ever said about wine. This one is sweet and goes down so easy, like silk flowing down his throat and into his belly, curling and warming him. He downs all of it in one go, looking back to see Akaashi has done the same.

Akaashi sets his cup back down and takes a step closer to Bokuto, an odd look in his eyes. He then grabs Bokuto by the face and messily crashes their lips together.

Bokuto feels his tongue snake out against his lips and he opens his mouth to him. He knows that they had the same drink, but he can’t help but think it tastes sweeter from Akaashi’s mouth. Then again, that’s maybe just him having an insanely massive crush.

Finally Akaashi pulls away, only to kiss him on each eyelid, Bokuto feels heat pool there briefly. A flash of warmth that fades quickly. He hears and feels Akaashi sigh against his face before he steps away.

When he opens his eyes Akaashi is giving him a wary look. Bokuto blinks once, eyes caught on a strange shape behind Akaashi. The shape flutters and Bokuto traces the shimmery outline of it, following it back to Akaashi.

His throat dries as he looks back and meets Akaashi’s eyes. His facial expression is blank once more, but he sighs.

“I wonder, how different must I look to you without the glamor?” Akaashi keeps his eyes on him deliberately and Bokuto watches the shape- the wings, on Akaashi’s back beat once. Their rather big, but translucent and move delicately.

He meets Akaashi’s eyes again, but sees no difference in his face. The warmth in his belly turns heavier and he takes a step towards him, but the man- no not a man, does not move.

“Akaashi.” He takes another step until their faces are inches away.

“Yes, Bokuto-san?” His breath fans across his face and it still smells like the sweet wine he’d just had.

Bokuto leans his face down a bit. “You’re still really pretty.” This time it’s him that smashes their lips together and he feels Akaashi freeze below him.

A buzzing starts in the back of his head and he’s forced to pull away, but he can’t quite keep his head up so he ends up resting his forehead on Akaashi’s shoulder. Then his knees give a bit and he’s leaning almost completely on him. “Sorry, ‘Kaashi. My head really hurts.”

He feels a hand comb through his hair and it quells the pain a bit, replacing it with a fuzzy kind of numbness. “I know.”

Bokuto feels himself falling asleep, somehow, letting his eyes slip shut as Akaashi continues to pet his head. “Rest now, Bokuto-san.”

So Bokuto does just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not keeping to traditional Unseelie interpretations very strictly, but for context Bokuto is pretty much trapped in the fey dimension with Akaashi and his court  
> Probably not gonna write more on this, but figured I'd share


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